ABOUT BASEMENTS # Invest in a waterproofing system Basement foundations should be insulated to minimize energy losses and should be protected from water infiltration. Even if a basement is not intended to be used as a finished space, it’s best to assume that it may be finished in the future. That’s why it’s a good investment to …Vented attics are the least expensive way to insulate the top of the house. 2. All exterior insulation on the roof or some on top with fibrous insulation beneath. Second on Kohta’s …32K Followers, 142 Following, 367 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Green Building Advisor (@greenbuildingadvisor)In my recent post, Living the 100-amp Lifestyle, I quoted the Australian philosopher Samuel Alexander as saying, “Efficiency without sufficiency is lost.”. For years, we have been talking about building our homes with greater energy efficiency; in the meantime, on average, they have doubled in size, eating up all those energy savings.One builder posted that when he ended up installing siding he shimmed the map siding at these locations to have a flat wall. @Dennis_vab Zip-R 12 is about $4.30 sq/ft without crazy amounts of sheathing. Im currently working on building a house and will be using Zip-r12 in zone 6a. Nailboard panels for roof as well.BEAM’s combined functionalities allow users to make project-specific materials selections, identify materials with the biggest carbon penalty, and find alternatives. Users input the main dimensions of a building and are given a list of available materials for the primary assemblies and the carbon impact of each product.If you want to improve the energy performance of an older house, one of the first steps is to plug your attic air leaks. Although many GBA articles address aspects of attic air sealing, no single article provides an overview of the topic. This article is an attempt to provide that missing overview. I’ll try to explain how you …Air conditioning can also create condensing surfaces. The same phenomenon can happen in reverse in the summertime. Let’s say the outdoor air is 85°F and the relative humidity is 75%. When outdoor air leaking inward contacts a surface below about 76°F, the moisture in the air will condense. So if you have an exhaust fan in your home, the air ...The Navien 240E’s minimum input at 95% efficiency is 17,000 BTU/hr. some 30% higher than the average seasonal load of 13,000 BTU/hr. so the boiler will rarely modulate. The minimum input into the 85 feet of fin-tube radiation is at the maximum 200 BTU/hr. (17,000/85) needed for condensing.Moisture Management: Pretty Good Building Envelopes. The fundamentals of the Pretty Good House approach to handling water to protect a building from foundation to roof to ensure longevity. BS* + Beer.GreenBuildingAdvisor.com offers comprehensive and reliable information on designing, building, and remodeling energy-efficient, sustainable, and healthy homes. …Rigid foam insulation is routinely used in high-performance buildings, but it also seems to attract carpenter ants. By Scott Gibson | March 28, 2016. Ants seem to like rigid foam, as this perforated sheet of insulation seems to show. Builders have tried a number of preventive measures to keep insects at bay, but some …Rockwool Comfortboard 80 is a rigid stone wool board designed for continuous insulation applications. A non-structural sheathing product, it provides increased thermal performance in 4 in. and 5 in. thicknesses, providing thermal performance up to R-21 for building envelopes. As a continuous exterior …In conclusion, green building advisors specialize in helping organizations design, build, and operate sustainable projects. These advisors can provide a wide range of services, including sustainability assessments, energy audits, green building design and construction support, sustainability program development, and support for sustainability ...Martin Holladay's 30-year-old solar panel has been exposed to the weather on his rooftop for 30 years. In 1980, after living in the woods of Vermont without electricity for five years, I bought my first photovoltaic (PV) module. Responding to a small ad in Mother Earth News, I sent a check to Joel Davidson, …A. In Climate Zone 6, I would advise the use of at least 2 inches of rigid foam before switching to fluffy insulation. Better yet, meet the code requirement for R-value entirely with the foam layer, and skip the fluffy insulation. Green builders don't use XPS -- instead, choose EPS or polyiso.UPDATED on September 7, 2017 with a new postscript. In the fall of 2012, I tested the performance of 11 air-sealing tapes by attaching samples to six different substrates mounted on the exterior wall of my woodshed. A month later, I tried to remove the tape samples to determine which tapes were most tenacious. I reported my findings in …Martin Holladay's 30-year-old solar panel has been exposed to the weather on his rooftop for 30 years. In 1980, after living in the woods of Vermont without electricity for five years, I bought my first photovoltaic (PV) module. Responding to a small ad in Mother Earth News, I sent a check to Joel Davidson, …The plan is to waterproof the exterior, install drain board, a perforated drain along the base of the foundation and an inground gutter system. However, we are stuck on the water proofing step. Pressure washing the exterior concrete removed all loose coating, but most of the fiber and black coating remain firmly in place.Five Cathedral Ceilings That Work. By Martin Holladay | December 11, 2020. A vented assembly with fiberglass or mineral wool insulation. This is the traditional way to insulate a cathedral ceiling. Note, however, that this approach requires deep rafters or scabbed-on 2x4s to add depth. The illustration shows an …GreenBuildingAdvisor.com. 14,464 likes · 2,933 talking about this. Dedicated to sharing accurate and complete information about designing, building, and remodeling high …With 2×6 framing, the only way to get R-30 using common insulation strategies is with closed-cell spray foam. Moving to a 2×8 wall allows for high-density batt options like Rockwool’s ComfortBatt, which achieves R-30 in a 7-1/4-in. batt. Several manufacturers of high-density fiberglass batts can also fit in the 7-1/4-in. …A standard electric water heater has a UEF of about 0.9, making my HPWH about 4.1 times as efficient. Instead of 501 kWh per year, I would have used about 2000 kWh per year with an electric-resistance water heater. At $0.10 per kWh, I would have saved about $150 per year on water heating.Jan 10, 2020 · Also known as band joists, rim joists are pieces of lumber—either sawn lumber or engineered lumber—that are installed vertically above the mudsill. On a new house, a typical rim joist might be a 2×10 or 2×12. Older houses have all kinds of different rim joists, including 2x6s, 2x8s, or even square timbers like 8x8s. Air conditioning can also create condensing surfaces. The same phenomenon can happen in reverse in the summertime. Let’s say the outdoor air is 85°F and the relative humidity is 75%. When outdoor air leaking inward contacts a surface below about 76°F, the moisture in the air will condense. So if you have an exhaust fan in your home, the air ...Aug 6, 2021 · First, some definitions. There are at least four kinds of slab foundations: A thickened-edge slab, also known as a monolithic slab, integrates the footing and the slab in a way that allows all of the concrete to be placed at the same time. The perimeter footing of a thickened-edge slab isn’t very deep. [Image credit: Martin Holladay] Feb 9, 2015 · It’s easy: Keep your heat from going through the roof. Saving money on heating-fuel costs is a lot simpler than negotiating with OPEC or your local utility. On a recent upgrade in the attic of a 1950s-era house (one of two projects shown here), I air-sealed and spread a 12-in.- deep layer of cellulose throughout 1500 sq. ft. of space in about ... The ratio rule tells you what percentage of the total R-value of insulation you need to put above the roof deck. The ratio rule applies to hybrid roof insulation with rigid insulation above the roof deck and air-permeable insulation below. Although the model code (2018 IRC) doesn’t call it out, you should use the rule for air …Subscription to GBA Prime - Green Building Advisor ... Loading... ...Questions Archive - GreenBuildingAdvisor. The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes. Try for Free. Community and Q&A. A Forum …The plan is to waterproof the exterior, install drain board, a perforated drain along the base of the foundation and an inground gutter system. However, we are stuck on the water proofing step. Pressure washing the exterior concrete removed all loose coating, but most of the fiber and black coating remain firmly in place.The SANCO2 split-system heat pump water heater offers benefits that include energy efficiency, low-GWP refrigerants, and the possibility in some situations to provide space heating. Over the last couple of years, there’s been a lot of buzz about the SANCO2, a newer type of air-source heat-pump water heater (HPWH) from ECO2 Systems.This episode of the BS* + Beer show is a discussion of spray foam insulation —the different types, their properties, application strategies, and problematic aspects. For many high-performance-home builders, spray foam is a go-to solution due to its efficacy not only as a reliable thermal insulator but also as an air barrier, yet it comes with ...Insulation can be applied on either side of the foundation wall, and the code permits both continuous insulation (like rigid foam) and cavity insulation (such as fiberglass placed in a stud wall on the inside of the foundation). Code requirements are summarized in Table R402.1.3, but here are the basics: Climate zone 3: R-5 of continuous ...The SANCO2 split-system heat pump water heater offers benefits that include energy efficiency, low-GWP refrigerants, and the possibility in some situations to provide space heating. Over the last couple of years, there’s been a lot of buzz about the SANCO2, a newer type of air-source heat-pump water heater (HPWH) from ECO2 Systems.Green Building Advisor Customer Service. Customer Service Options: Place an Order. Buy a New Membership. Buy a Gift Membership. Log In to Your Account to: Change …The embodied carbon associated with a building refers to the greenhouse gases emitted during the manufacturing of products and materials used to construct it. These emissions differ from those generated during the building’s operations i.e., operational emissions. As our buildings become more energy efficient, the portion of emissions that ...GreenBuildingAdvisor.com. 14,464 likes · 2,933 talking about this. Dedicated to sharing accurate and complete information about designing, building, and remodeling high …Registers are square or rectangular fittings with movable dampers to adjust airflow volume. Lightweight stamped-steel registers are used for wall and ceiling applications; heavier-duty cast or welded registers are used in floors. Diffusers cover supply openings in ceilings. They have angled vanes that discharge air in a spreading pattern.Navigating the decision-making process to ensure the best performance of a home can be challenging. We need to balance allocation of resources between 1. load reduction—which primarily involves upgrading the thermal enclosure—2. conversion from fossil fuel–powered to electrically powered systems, and 3. implementation of renewable …Installing Rigid Foam Above Roof Sheathing - GreenBuildingAdvisor. Musings of an Energy Nerd. By Martin Holladay | July 8, 2022. This approach can be used to create an unvented conditioned attic, allowing attic ducts to be installed inside a home’s thermal envelope. Many modern designs include cathedral ceilings, and cathedral ceilings need ...Remember the three types of heating and cooling loads: part-load, design load, and extreme load. A single-stage system is oversized for most of the year, sometimes by a huge amount, because the load is at part-load conditions close to 99 percent of the time. That oversizing is the source of another downside of fixed-capacity systems.Introducing the 120-volt Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater. Geothermal heat pumps have a reputation for being efficient and “green”; is it deserved? In contrast, feedback from owner experience, and substantiated by discussion on industry boards and forums, paints a less flattering picture of the realities of geothermal.A radiant floor system powered by a boiler that produces 75,000 or 80,000 Btu per hour is overkill, what Theodore Bernstein would call an “atomic flyswatter.”. The case for an expensive heating system built around a powerful boiler begins to collapse as the building enclosure becomes better insulated and air-sealed.UPDATED on September 7, 2017 with a new postscript. In the fall of 2012, I tested the performance of 11 air-sealing tapes by attaching samples to six different substrates mounted on the exterior wall of my woodshed. A month later, I tried to remove the tape samples to determine which tapes were most tenacious. I reported my findings in …The code recommendations for 2×6 walls assume (in Climate Zone 6) that any exterior rigid foam has a minimum R-value of R-11.25 — your polyiso will perform at R-9 or R-10 in cold weather, so it’s not quite thick enough — and fluffy insulation between the studs rated at R-19 or R-20.Nov 20, 2023 · The SANCO2 split-system heat pump water heater offers benefits that include energy efficiency, low-GWP refrigerants, and the possibility in some situations to provide space heating. Over the last couple of years, there’s been a lot of buzz about the SANCO2, a newer type of air-source heat-pump water heater (HPWH) from ECO2 Systems. Gregg is renovating his 50-year-old house in Wisconsin and trying to devise the best way of insulating exterior walls from the outside. The house was built conventionally, with 2x4 walls, fiberglass batt insulation, fiberboard sheathing, and hardboard siding. He plans to tear off both siding and sheathing and remove the batt insulation, then apply 3 in. …Fiberglass batts are vapor permeable and air permeable. By the way, you don't need a 12-inch air gap between your insulated concrete wall and your studs. One or 2 inches is fine. Ideally, all of your required R-value will be provided by your rigid foam, and your 2x4 stud bays will be uninsulated. Aug 19, 2010 09:12pm.The should match the 99% and 1% design temperatures from ASHRAE, which are also given in Table 1A in Manual J from ACCA. If the 1% summer design temperature is 91°F, as in Atlanta, a Manual J report showing that the load calculation was done with 97°F will result in an oversized air conditioner. Actually, even if the load …Green is often less expensive when all things are considered Sustainable building often seems more expensive than conventional building. Many of the building materials that make houses more durable and easier to heat and cool aren’t cheap. Complicated systems that allow a certain amount of energy …Green Building Advisor is a digital-only media platform in its second decade covering environmentally sensitive design, innovative materials, energy-efficient construction …The amount of insulation installed in any given building assembly depends on the climate, the part of the house being insulated, the project budget, and local code requirements. Batts and blankets: R-3.1 to R-4.1 per in. Blown-in and loose-fill insulation: R-2.6 to R-4.2 per in. Rigid foam: R-3.6 to R-6.8 per in.GreenBuildingAdvisor.com. 14,464 likes · 2,933 talking about this. Dedicated to sharing accurate and complete information about designing, building, and remodeling high-performance homes.Most of the world, especially the green building community, assumes that “European” implies “more energy-efficient.”. When it comes to windows, this automatic presumption of superior energy efficiency is both so common and so misplaced that it deserves a name: the Presumptive European Superiority Syndrome. Guest Blogs.Nov 20, 2023 · The SANCO2 split-system heat pump water heater offers benefits that include energy efficiency, low-GWP refrigerants, and the possibility in some situations to provide space heating. Over the last couple of years, there’s been a lot of buzz about the SANCO2, a newer type of air-source heat-pump water heater (HPWH) from ECO2 Systems. Although I wrote a 2012 article for Fine Homebuilding on ways to insulate the cramped attic behind a kneewall, I’ve never written such an article for GBA. So it’s clearly time for a comprehensive article on the topic. A kneewall is sometimes defined as “a short wall under a sloped ceiling.”. A typical kneewall is between 3 and 5 feet high.Payback Calculations for Energy-Efficiency Improvements - GreenBuildingAdvisor. Musings of an Energy Nerd. By Martin Holladay | December 23, 2011. If you are considering investing in an energy-efficiency improvement for your home — for example, additional attic insulation or a photovoltaic system — … The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes. Try for Free. Green Basics Green Building Advisor’s Encyclopedia of Articles and Videos This is the short answer as to why the new building codes are increasing requirements for continuous insulation. The 2012 IECC will require R-20 or R13+5 for Climate Zones 3, 4, and 5, and it requires R20+5 or R15+10 for Climate Zones 6, 7, and 8. [Editor’s note: In some climates, the “R20+5” approach is not …Insulation can be applied on either side of the foundation wall, and the code permits both continuous insulation (like rigid foam) and cavity insulation (such as fiberglass placed in a stud wall on the inside of the foundation). Code requirements are summarized in Table R402.1.3, but here are the basics: Climate zone 3: R-5 of continuous ...Recommended patio or sliding door for high-performing house. Midcoast Maine new construction 1400sf house. R40 walls, R60 roof. Windows triple pane. Do you have a recommendation for an 6-0x6-8 slider or patio exterior door? Building Science Introducing the 120-volt Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater. The good news is the model can save thousands of dollars. The downside is limited backup heat, which could mean running out of hot water. Remember the three types of heating and cooling loads: part-load, design load, and extreme load. A single-stage system is oversized for most of the year, sometimes by a huge amount, because the load is at part-load conditions close to 99 percent of the time. That oversizing is the source of another downside of fixed-capacity systems.It’s easy: Keep your heat from going through the roof. Saving money on heating-fuel costs is a lot simpler than negotiating with OPEC or your local utility. On a recent upgrade in the attic of a 1950s-era house (one of two projects shown here), I air-sealed and spread a 12-in.- deep layer of cellulose throughout 1500 sq. ft. of space in about ...This $250,000 figure was based on 80% of our bank’s expected appraised value of our design at $312,500. The 80/20 loan-to-value matrix is very common in residential mortgage lending. I budgeted an additional $25,000 out of pocket, resulting in my self-design/build budget of $100 per sq. ft.Insulation can be applied on either side of the foundation wall, and the code permits both continuous insulation (like rigid foam) and cavity insulation (such as fiberglass placed in a stud wall on the inside of the foundation). Code requirements are summarized in Table R402.1.3, but here are the basics: Climate zone 3: R-5 of continuous ...Inspect the attic access carefully to find any air-leakage pathways that need to be sealed. For house plans, use the pen test. Make it easy for occupants to use, including returning it to the sealed position. Attics can be as cold as the outdoor air in winter and much hotter than outdoor air in summer.Payback Calculations for Energy-Efficiency Improvements - GreenBuildingAdvisor. Musings of an Energy Nerd. By Martin Holladay | December 23, 2011. If you are considering investing in an energy-efficiency improvement for your home — for example, additional attic insulation or a photovoltaic system — …When you switch from an air conditioner to a heat pump and keep your furnace, you now have two heating systems. You still have the furnace, but the heat pump will probably do most of your heating. Above a certain temperature, the heat pump does all the heating. Below that temperature, the heat pump turns off and the furnace takes over.However, these vacuum insulation panels (sometimes called VIPs) could make a great deal of sense in certain value-added products like refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, and entry doors. Whirlpool actually used a VIP that Owens Corning produced for a while (the Aura panel) in a high-efficiency refrigerator in …Get building science and energy efficiency advice, plus special offers, in your inbox. “A whole-house fan creates the breeze and with windows open provides fresh air, reduces or eliminates VOCs and CO2, and cools the house for a lot [less] energy and dollars than running the AC,” he adds. “Am I nuts?”.In conclusion, green building advisors specialize in helping organizations design, build, and operate sustainable projects. These advisors can provide a wide range of services, including sustainability assessments, energy audits, green building design and construction support, sustainability program development, and support for sustainability ...In conclusion, green building advisors specialize in helping organizations design, build, and operate sustainable projects. These advisors can provide a wide range of services, including sustainability assessments, energy audits, green building design and construction support, sustainability program development, and support for sustainability ...UPDATED on September 7, 2017 with a new postscript. In the fall of 2012, I tested the performance of 11 air-sealing tapes by attaching samples to six different substrates mounted on the exterior wall of my woodshed. A month later, I tried to remove the tape samples to determine which tapes were most tenacious. I reported my findings in …Jul 8, 2022 · Installing Rigid Foam Above Roof Sheathing - GreenBuildingAdvisor. Musings of an Energy Nerd. By Martin Holladay | July 8, 2022. This approach can be used to create an unvented conditioned attic, allowing attic ducts to be installed inside a home’s thermal envelope. Many modern designs include cathedral ceilings, and cathedral ceilings need ... BEAM’s combined functionalities allow users to make project-specific materials selections, identify materials with the biggest carbon penalty, and find alternatives. Users input the main dimensions of a building and are given a list of available materials for the primary assemblies and the carbon impact of each product.Ask and answer green building questions from engineers, scientists, architects and builders. Learn from the community and share your knowledge on climate …The code recommendations for 2×6 walls assume (in Climate Zone 6) that any exterior rigid foam has a minimum R-value of R-11.25 — your polyiso will perform at R-9 or R-10 in cold weather, so it’s not quite thick enough — and fluffy insulation between the studs rated at R-19 or R-20.Nov 30, 2023 · IRC on continuous insulation. Building codes have begun to align with building science and we are seeing more areas across the country adopt continuous insulation as part of the energy code. CI requirements with regard to the energy code can be found in the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), Chapter 11, “Energy Efficiency.”. This means that radiant heat can provide comfort at a lower air temperature than is required with forced-warm-air or baseboard hot water heat. You might be able to keep your thermostat lower — say 65 degrees—and be perfectly comfortable with radiant-floor heating, while 68 or even 70 degrees would be required with other systems.Oct 1, 2008 · GreenBuildingAdvisor.com offers comprehensive and reliable information on designing, building, and remodeling energy-efficient, sustainable, and healthy homes. Learn from leading green experts, access hundreds of construction drawings and product reviews, and join the community of green builders and homeowners. The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes. Try for Free. Green Basics Green Building Advisor’s Encyclopedia of Articles and Videos One builder posted that when he ended up installing siding he shimmed the map siding at these locations to have a flat wall. @Dennis_vab Zip-R 12 is about $4.30 sq/ft without crazy amounts of sheathing. Im currently working on building a house and will be using Zip-r12 in zone 6a. Nailboard panels for roof as well.One answer from Philips, released this week, is an ultra-thin surface-mount LED fixture designed to look like a recessed can when viewed from below. Measuring only 5/8 inch deep, the SlimSurface LED can be mounted in a shallow electrical box (see Image #2, below). If the installer specifies an airtight box (or implements a few simple air ...The embodied carbon associated with a building refers to the greenhouse gases emitted during the manufacturing of products and materials used to construct it. These emissions differ from those generated during the building’s operations i.e., operational emissions. As our buildings become more energy efficient, the portion of …Nov 17, 2009 · My father inlaw about 6 years ago hired a roofer tp put new shingles on top of old shingles the old shingles has a green type moss above kitchen area weren't removed when new shingles were put on. There was never any insulation between the original tar/gravel attic side of the roof and the 2nd outer roof. This episode of the BS* + Beer show is a discussion of spray foam insulation —the different types, their properties, application strategies, and problematic aspects. For many high-performance-home builders, spray foam is a go-to solution due to its efficacy not only as a reliable thermal insulator but also as an air barrier, yet it comes with ...Flash-and-Batt Insulation. Closed-cell spray polyurethane foam insulation has several desirable characteristics. It’s an excellent air barrier, an excellent vapor retarder, and it has a high insulating value per inch (about R-6). Unfortunately, …Aug 9, 2023 · The NAHB’s stance on the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), in particular, which sets minimum requirements for energy-efficient buildings, is focused on the code’s overall cost effectiveness. Citing cost impact analysis from the Kansas City Home Builders Association, the NAHB proffers that the IECC can add up to “$31,000 ... Design your building and design the excavation. Create a tent roof like the building roof, dig the excavation, and put the tent roof over the excavation. Then wait. Maybe a year, maybe more. After every heavy rain go back to the hole and see if the hole is dry. If, after a long wait the hole remains dry then build your …Delta biscuit company, Surfcity, Big mamas papas pizza, Cadillac ranch amarillo, Crew clothing, Black's tire and auto, Caritas family solutions, Commander hotel ocean city md, University of wisconsin men's basketball, Sylvan abbey, Arlan's market, 19 actionnews, Hudson and hawk, Perkins medical supply
Green Building Advisor. Blogs. Musings of an Energy Nerd; Product Guide; Q&A Spotlight; Building Science; Green Building News; BS* + Beer; Energy-Smart Details ... expect to pay between $1.10 and $1.20 a square foot. More information here: New Green Building Products — September 2010. GBA Editor Martin Holladay | Mar 04, 2013 …. Pizza ranch appleton
Ventilation: While some ceiling-mounted cassettes (for example, the Mitsubishi SLZ-KA series) are designed to draw in outdoor air and distribute it to the living space, most ductless heads do not allow for this option. In fact, unwanted intrusion of outdoor air into a ductless head can lead to issues with condensation and temperature …Gregg is renovating his 50-year-old house in Wisconsin and trying to devise the best way of insulating exterior walls from the outside. The house was built conventionally, with 2x4 walls, fiberglass batt insulation, fiberboard sheathing, and hardboard siding. He plans to tear off both siding and sheathing and remove the …Enter inventor Brian Iverson and the Tstud. Tstuds are an alternative to solid 2×6 framing lumber. Tstuds can be used for pretty much any framing element in exterior walls: studs, jacks, cripples, plates, and headers. They are designed for advanced framing—24-inch on center, with single top plates, and two-stud corners.One builder posted that when he ended up installing siding he shimmed the map siding at these locations to have a flat wall. @Dennis_vab Zip-R 12 is about $4.30 sq/ft without crazy amounts of sheathing. Im currently working on building a house and will be using Zip-r12 in zone 6a. Nailboard panels for roof as well.Tankless water heaters have one advantage over conventional storage units: no standby losses. Instead of keeping water hot around the clock, regardless of whether it's actually needed, tankless units heat water only when a tap or an appliance is turned on. By rights, this should mean lower energy consumption, a decidedly green advantage.R: Anything to reduce vibrations transfer would be ideal based on what i understood from the calls I made. Q: it seems that to use the boost function, wiring is just armored conduit to a wall box, and then romex to the switch, which I assume is just a standard 120 v. 15-20 amp wall switch.2. vinyl siding comes down to about 8-12” from the top of finished grade. 3. the sill looks to be in decent shape but it not airtight on the foundation. 4. the exterior foundation face is a mix of rubble stone, faced with some stucco. Lots of stucco has broken and crumbling, as is some of the rubble. 5. Green Building Advisor. Blogs. Musings of an Energy Nerd; ... The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes. Try for Free. Community and Q&A ABOUT BASEMENTS # Invest in a waterproofing system Basement foundations should be insulated to minimize energy losses and should be protected from water infiltration. Even if a basement is not intended to be used as a finished space, it’s best to assume that it may be finished in the future. That’s why it’s a good investment to …When I posted the lead photo on LinkedIn a few days ago, Houston home builder Dave Yelovich gave his solution for fixing the wall: High-density R-15 batt in the kneewall after sealing any gaps. Install OSB over it and run it 16 in. above the top plate to create insulation dams. Add some blown-in over the top.The code recommendations for 2×6 walls assume (in Climate Zone 6) that any exterior rigid foam has a minimum R-value of R-11.25 — your polyiso will perform at R-9 or R-10 in cold weather, so it’s not quite thick enough — and fluffy insulation between the studs rated at R-19 or R-20.If it's plank sheathing in pretty good shape, with at least 3/8" (10mm) between the sheathing and brick it should be relatively safe to insulate the 2x4 bays with a full fill of open cell spray polyurethane foam. That yields about R13 at center cavity, or about R10 "whole-wall" after installing the gyprock.Installing Rigid Foam Above Roof Sheathing - GreenBuildingAdvisor. Musings of an Energy Nerd. By Martin Holladay | July 8, 2022. This approach can be used to create an unvented conditioned attic, allowing attic ducts to be installed inside a home’s thermal envelope. Many modern designs include cathedral ceilings, and cathedral ceilings need ...Payback Calculations for Energy-Efficiency Improvements - GreenBuildingAdvisor. Musings of an Energy Nerd. By Martin Holladay | December 23, 2011. If you are considering investing in an energy-efficiency improvement for your home — for example, additional attic insulation or a photovoltaic system — …XPS would be possible, but worse from a global warming impact perspective, would cost much more, and would be harder to get in custom shapes. EPS can be directly molded into a wedge, whereas XPS comes out of the machine as a slab and would need to be cut to make a wedge. In that example it had concrete poured on top.The amount of insulation installed in any given building assembly depends on the climate, the part of the house being insulated, the project budget, and local code requirements. Batts and blankets: R-3.1 to R-4.1 per in. Blown-in and loose-fill insulation: R-2.6 to R-4.2 per in. Rigid foam: R-3.6 to R-6.8 per in.An updated review of two of the most common sheathing products. Although skeptical builders avoided oriented strand board (OSB) when it was first introduced commercially in the 1980s, today it dominates the U.S. sheathing market, far outstripping plywood with about 64% of sales. Improved resins, better water …Response to Martin Holladay, GBA Advisor Martin, Thanks for the response, I attached a couple of pictures of my knee wall, it is big enough to get behind. ... Unfortunately, I am in a location with very few resources when it comes to green building or renovating. I hope you can offer advice about my unconditioned attic. Basics: 80-year-old ...GreenBuildingAdvisor. @GreenBuildingAdvisor 2.94K subscribers 62 videos. More about this channel. greenbuildingadvisor.com. Home. Videos. Playlists. Community. Channels. …The lifecycle “cost” of carbon involved in building construction can be measured by the global warming potential (GWP) associated with the manufacturing and use of each building component. This is measured in carbon dioxide equivalence (CO2e). My focus was specifically on insulation, which is a product that customers and contractors ...If you use EPS, a more environmentally responsible option, it starts out at about R-4/in and maintains R-4/in. Either way, 2.5" is enough to get R-20. R-20 foundation walls are insulated in different ways so the answer would depend on your assembly. R-40 above-grade walls are done in different ways so the answer …The ratio rule tells you what percentage of the total R-value of insulation you need to put above the roof deck. The ratio rule applies to hybrid roof insulation with rigid insulation above the roof deck and air-permeable insulation below. Although the model code (2018 IRC) doesn’t call it out, you should use the rule for air …Green Building Advisor. Blogs. Musings of an Energy Nerd; Product Guide; Q&A Spotlight; Building Science; Green Building News; BS* + Beer; Energy-Smart ... Become a GBA Prime member and get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field. Start free trial. Related Questions. Certainteed …With an R-90 roof and R-60 walls, Jenz Yoder's new off-grid house will be well insulated. Yoder's quandary, outlined at Green Building Advisor's Q&A forum, is whether radiant-floor heat is a good idea. "I had two …Mar 25, 2016 · Maybe you are building a new home with an unconditioned vented attic. The house is framed, sheathed, and roofed. The drywall contractors have finished their work, so now you’re ready to insulate the attic floor. If you are an owner-builder, this may be the first time you’ve done this. So what do you need to know? 1. Independent ducting. The best way to duct a dehumidifier is to give it its own independent ducts. The intake side is connected to a grille (or maybe multiple grilles). The supply side is connected to a grille or register (or maybe more than one). It’s the simplest way to set up a whole-house dehumidifier.It’s easy: Keep your heat from going through the roof. Saving money on heating-fuel costs is a lot simpler than negotiating with OPEC or your local utility. On a recent upgrade in the attic of a 1950s-era house (one of two projects shown here), I air-sealed and spread a 12-in.- deep layer of cellulose throughout 1500 sq. ft. of space in about ...The lower the number, the better a product is at keeping heat in. Range: 0.1–1. Look for: Low numbers; best ≤0.30. Solar Heat Gain Coefficient measures the amount of solar radiation admitted through a window unit—either transmitted directly and/or absorbed. Lower numbers mean you’ll spend less on cooling your house.Navigating the decision-making process to ensure the best performance of a home can be challenging. We need to balance allocation of resources between 1. load reduction—which primarily involves upgrading the thermal enclosure—2. conversion from fossil fuel–powered to electrically powered systems, and 3. implementation of renewable …Green Building Advisor is a source for builders, remodelers, architects and homeowners who want to learn about green building, products and details. Join the community of …Questions Archive - GreenBuildingAdvisor. The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes. Try for Free. Community and Q&A. A Forum …The building will be a large shop/residence in Zone 6 - stick built (2” x 6”s), 30’ x 80’ with 12’ walls, slab on grade. Roof system will be 30’ wide-spread trusses, ~8’ high on 2’ centers (snow loads 100lbs and wind 115 mph gusts) with 7.25” high energy heals and a 12’ “box” space for storage running the length of the roof space between the webs. Green Building Advisor. Blogs. Musings of an Energy Nerd; ... The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes. Try for Free. Community and Q&A However, these vacuum insulation panels (sometimes called VIPs) could make a great deal of sense in certain value-added products like refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, and entry doors. Whirlpool actually used a VIP that Owens Corning produced for a while (the Aura panel) in a high-efficiency refrigerator in …A second type of heat pump is the ground-source heat pump (GSHP). During the summer, this type of heat pump transfers heat from indoor air to the soil around your house. In some cases, it may transfer heat from indoor air to the water in a drilled will, or to a nearby lake or pond. During the winter, a GSHP collects heat …Nov 30, 2023 · IRC on continuous insulation. Building codes have begun to align with building science and we are seeing more areas across the country adopt continuous insulation as part of the energy code. CI requirements with regard to the energy code can be found in the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), Chapter 11, “Energy Efficiency.”. The embodied carbon associated with a building refers to the greenhouse gases emitted during the manufacturing of products and materials used to construct it. These emissions differ from those generated during the building’s operations i.e., operational emissions. As our buildings become more energy efficient, the portion of emissions that ...If you want to improve the energy performance of an older house, one of the first steps is to plug your attic air leaks. Although many GBA articles address aspects of attic air sealing, no single article provides an overview of the topic. This article is an attempt to provide that missing overview. I’ll try to explain how you …Green Building Advisor is a digital-only media platform in its second decade covering environmentally sensitive design, innovative materials, energy-efficient construction …Ask and answer green building questions from engineers, scientists, architects and builders. Learn from the community and share your knowledge on climate …Vented attics are the least expensive way to insulate the top of the house. 2. All exterior insulation on the roof or some on top with fibrous insulation beneath. Second on Kohta’s …GreenBuildingAdvisor.com offers comprehensive and reliable information on designing, building, and remodeling energy-efficient, sustainable, and healthy homes. …A radiant floor system powered by a boiler that produces 75,000 or 80,000 Btu per hour is overkill, what Theodore Bernstein would call an “atomic flyswatter.”. The case for an expensive heating system built around a powerful boiler begins to collapse as the building enclosure becomes better insulated and air-sealed.Response to Martin Holladay, GBA Advisor Martin, Thanks for the response, I attached a couple of pictures of my knee wall, it is big enough to get behind. ... Unfortunately, I am in a location with very few resources when it comes to green building or renovating. I hope you can offer advice about my unconditioned attic. Basics: 80-year-old ...Potential for pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is defined as the chemical decomposition of wood or coal by the application of heat alone in the absence of oxygen. In short, it is the repeated heating of wood resulting in its changed chemistry and ignition temperature. Typically, this process happens over a long period of time and includes many cycles of ...Residential builders in Alaska have at least two major sources of motivation to build homes efficiently and with first-rate performance characteristics. One is the short building season. The other, of course, is Alaska’s Arctic cold. But for general contractor Thorsten Chlupp, whose firm, Reina LLC, is based in Fairbanks, yet another motivator …BEAM’s combined functionalities allow users to make project-specific materials selections, identify materials with the biggest carbon penalty, and find alternatives. Users input the main dimensions of a building and are given a list of available materials for the primary assemblies and the carbon impact of each product.32K Followers, 142 Following, 367 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Green Building Advisor (@greenbuildingadvisor)So in a sense, all insulation materials have embodied global warming potential (GWP). Second, two of our common insulation materials are made with hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) blowing agents that are very potent greenhouse gases. Extruded polystyrene (XPS), best known by the brands Dow Styrofoam …The SANCO2 split-system heat pump water heater offers benefits that include energy efficiency, low-GWP refrigerants, and the possibility in some situations to provide space heating. Over the last couple of years, there’s been a lot of buzz about the SANCO2, a newer type of air-source heat-pump water heater (HPWH) from ECO2 Systems.Jul 8, 2022 · Installing Rigid Foam Above Roof Sheathing - GreenBuildingAdvisor. Musings of an Energy Nerd. By Martin Holladay | July 8, 2022. This approach can be used to create an unvented conditioned attic, allowing attic ducts to be installed inside a home’s thermal envelope. Many modern designs include cathedral ceilings, and cathedral ceilings need ... Design your building and design the excavation. Create a tent roof like the building roof, dig the excavation, and put the tent roof over the excavation. Then wait. Maybe a year, maybe more. After every heavy rain go back to the hole and see if the hole is dry. If, after a long wait the hole remains dry then build your …. Boston's restaurant and sports bar, Oceana grill conti street new orleans la, Music box san diego, Jt tire, Estate sales tulsa, Improv homestead, Lowes galesburg il, Centerville pizza, Root wild.